Koyaanisqatsi

Apr 27, 1983

1h 26m

★ 7.9

Life out of balance

Overview

Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.

Genres

Documentary

Drama

Production Companies

IRE Productions

Santa Fe Institute for Regional Education

American Zoetrope

Koyaanisqatsi Trailers

Cast

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Ed Asner

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Pat Benatar

Self - On TV (archive footage, uncredited)

Jerry Brown

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Johnny Carson

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Dick Cavett

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Marilyn Chambers

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Sammy Davis Jr.

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Lou Dobbs

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Thomas Dolby

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Linda Ellerbee

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Jerry Falwell

Self - On TV (archive footage) (uncredited)

Mark J. Goodman

A day in the city of Berlin, which experienced an industrial boom in the 1920s, and still provides an insight into the living and working conditions at that time. Germany had just recovered a little from the worst consequences of the First World War, the great economic crisis was still a few years away and Hitler was not yet an issue at the time.

6.1

The Guardians

Dec 6, 2017

In this ensemble drama set in rural France, the women of the Paridier farm are left to run it by themselves while their men are off fighting in World War I. But things become complicated with the arrival of American troops.

7.5

Head-On

Mar 11, 2004

With the intention to break free from the strict familial restrictions, a suicidal young woman sets up a marriage of convenience with a forty-year-old addict, an act that will lead to an outburst of envious love.

5.7

The Water Murmurs

May 17, 2022

When an asteroid hits the Earth leading to underwater volcanic eruptions, the inhabitants of a small riverside town start to flee inland. Before she leaves, Nian decides to say goodbye to her childhood friend. Her memories of the town start to become clearer and clearer in her mind on this journey.

7.8

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring

Sep 19, 2003

An isolated lake, where an old monk lives in a small floating temple. The monk has a young boy living with him, learning to become a monk. We watch as seasons and years pass by.

6.7

Knife in the Clear Water

Apr 4, 2018

A man is struggling to keep his beloved bull from being used as sacrifice for his dead wife's funeral rites.

5.0

Lady Sakura

Mar 28, 2025

No overview available.

10.0

Topsy-Turvy

Jun 23, 2024

As Cyclone Remal approached, we arrived in Debpur village of Dhankhali Upazila, Bangladesh. What struck us immediately was the stark contrast between the official warnings of impending devastation and the villagers' apparent lack of preparedness. Over the following days, amidst the unfolding chaos, we documented the lives of individuals as they grappled with the imminent threat of destruction. The film captures the overbearing anxiety that grips entire communities in the face of an approaching cyclone. Through intimate encounters, and candid interviews, we witness firsthand the resilience and fear of those directly in Remal's path. Their voices echo the overwhelming power of nature and the human spirit in adversity.

5.4

Tequila

Aug 21, 1992

Nearly thirty years after making his surrealist La Formula Secreta, director Rubén Gámez returned to filmmaking with this impressionistic portrait of modern-day Mexico. Reminiscent in some ways of Godfrey Reggio’s Koyaanisqatsi, Tequila appears to be a cinematic extension of Mexico’s muralist tradition, a contemporary equivalent of Diego Rivera or David Alfaro Siqueiros with vignettes, quick ideas, visual puns, cartoons, and political statements.

6.7

The Return of Martin Guerre

May 14, 1982

Village of Artigat, southern France, summer 1542, during the reign of Francis I. Martin Guerre and Bertrande de Rols marry. A few years later, accused of having committed a robbery, Martin suddenly disappears. When, almost a decade later, a man arrives in Artigat claiming to be Martin, the Guerre family recognizes him as such; but doubts soon arise about his true identity.

7.6

Viridiana

Apr 1, 1962

Viridiana is preparing to start her life as a nun when she is sent, somewhat unwillingly, to visit her aging uncle, Don Jaime. He supports her; but the two have met only once. Jaime thinks Viridiana resembles his dead wife. Viridiana has secretly despised this man all her life and finds her worst fears proven when Jaime grows determined to seduce his pure niece. Viridiana becomes undone as her uncle upends the plans she had made to join the convent.

6.2

Jamon Jamon

Sep 3, 1992

José Luis has a cushy corporate job at the lingerie factory his mom owns. After he falls in love and proposes to Silvia, a beautiful laborer on the underwear assembly line, his mom enlists Raul, a potential underwear model and would-be bullfighter, to seduce Silvia.

3.5

Der lange Weg ans Licht

Feb 28, 2008

No overview available.

6.5

The Village

Jul 30, 2004

When a willful young man tries to venture beyond his sequestered Pennsylvania hamlet, his actions set off a chain of chilling incidents that will alter the community forever.

6.7

What Lies Upstream

Jan 20, 2017

In this detective story, filmmaker Cullen Hoback investigates the largest chemical drinking water contamination in a generation. But something is rotten in state and federal regulatory agencies, and through years of persistent journalism, we learn the shocking truth about what’s really happening with drinking water in America.

0.0

Tracing the Gray Summer

Aug 18, 2001

Animated film about the Seveso disaster, which took place north of Milan, Italy in 1976.

7.5

Fuel

Nov 14, 2008

Record high oil prices, global warming, and an insatiable demand for energy: these issues define our generation. The film exposes shocking connections between the auto industry, the oil industry, and the government, while exploring alternative energies such as solar, wind, electricity, and non-food-based biofuels.

6.6

Empire Records

Sep 22, 1995

The employees of an independent music store learn about each other as they try to stop the store from being absorbed by a large chain.

7.5

River's End: California's Latest Water War

Jan 14, 2021

A documentary that reveals California's complex struggle over who gets fresh water, and how moneyed interests game the system. Constant battling over uncertain water supplies heralds an impending crisis—not just in California, but around the world.

3.4

Faces of Death III

Mar 10, 1985

The third installment of the infamous "is it real or fake?" mondo series sets its sights primarily on serial killers, with lengthy reenactments of police investigations of bodies being found in dumpsters, and a staged courtroom sequence.